Treefriend

Arrival

I came from a very different world. A very empty world. I enjoy my solitude, but when your only companions are animals and the sound of running water you start to wonder if being alone isn't such a blessing. There were many trees in the world I came from. Many forests. None of them were my forest. My tree. They didn't need me.

I heard of a world whose trees wished for more than just a forest. More than just a solitary growth in a sea of many. This world's trees wished for adventure, for challenges. These trees are heroes. I wanted to see this world, and meet these trees. I wanted to meet my tree. My hero.

So I came. To this world. It was a bit frightening, to go to a new world, a world where I do not know the land and I do not know the trees. I arrived in a stone room, which would have been unsettling if it hadn't been for the vines growing. I made my way up, and out, where I saw so many trees. A few too many trees, to be honest. Like I said before, I do like my solitude. I just want it to not be quite so alone.

I jump from the stone structure and swim towards shore. Hopefully I can find somewhere quiet, perhaps with snow. I have always liked snow, even though it brings the death-like sleep of winter to most trees. Maybe what I need is a lonely tree in a snowy land, to share my solitude with. I will search until I find one that calls me.

I set out, following the directions of another spirit who told me of a snowy land, just as I sought. I reached the destination to find the area quite snowy enough, but thickly covered in trees. So many voices confused me, and so I fled.

Into the desert I went, plodding across the hot sands until night fell. Then it was not only dry and treeless...but dangerous. The walking dead of races past chased me, and creatures made from the ferocity born of lightening and thunder hissed at me from the bottom of every dune.

I ran. I ran until I was so faint from hunger that I could not run another step. Even then, I continued to walk.

Finally, just as a new dawn broke the horizon, I reached a grassy plain. This was not much better than the desert, excepting that there were at least green and growing things everywhere I looked.

I continued like this, reaching places that were either completely devoid of tree life, or so filled with it I could not even hear myself think. I reached an ocean shore, and so turned into another direction, only to find yet another beach!

I fell to my knees in despair, thinking I might never find my soul's tree. I send a plea to one of the great spirits of this realm, begging to be lifted like a cloud so that I might travel the great distances without weariness, and find my heartwood.

Lo, a Great Spirit heard me, and I was granted my wish! I flew high, high above the clouds. Higher than the mighty jungle sequoias.

Many snowy lands dotted the landscape, but each had a massive crowding of trees, whose voices I could hear even as I flew far above. Once again I began to lose hope of ever finding my partner in growth. But then, as I flew over a frozen river valley, heard it. It's voice called out, clear and crisp out of the crowd.

"Come to me," it said, "Come and warm my roots, come and grow my leaves. Together we will explore the earth and the skies. Come Home!"

There, standing tall and separate, was a handsome pine. It sat out on a little peninsula that jutted into the river, and had a cute little tuft of leaves at it's very top. I dropped down to it from my cloud perch, and introduced myself. I sang my joy to the Great Spirit who had helped me, who came to bless my tree. My tree.

It dropped only one sapling, but one will soon become many, and our roots will grow. Our branches will spread. We will become large and twisted and wise. I wait now, for our sapling to grow. I have encased our heartwood in a protective cocoon of soil, while we wait for our adventure to begin.

The long night passed and I broke the surface of the earth to find snow covering the landscape and that our sapling had grown into a large and leafy tree. Proud, I harvested it and began to create paths to other trees. I began removing trees who encroached on our space, ones whose voices tried to drown out the voice of my own tree.

Then I build down into the hard earth. I hope to create a nursery for our saplings to grow, a safe haven, but that will be some time in the making. For now I must focus on growing my tree. To grow, you must sometimes prune, and I am afraid our pruning has left us little more than a stump and some roots.

The undead creatures of the night left traces of their passage. There are some bones right at the edge of a root I helped grow the day before. I quickly ground them into powder and used them to quicken my new saplings.

Strong voices of other forest folk reached my ears. Though we cannot see each other, we can speak. It is the perfect balance. I drew the attention of another Great Spirit, and he came to inspect my tree's beginnings. Despite the state of our meager offshoots, it was a great honor.

I have expanded the cocoon of soil further now, it is a low wall, just enough to keep out the undead. I worry about natural foes, spiders and such, but I am confident that the stone weapon I have crafted will suffice to protect my heartwood from their spinnerets.

Long rests are sometimes unavoidable. I felt like I had slept for days. My Tree did not mind, what is three days in the life of a tree? Spirits have a quicker sense of time than trees, as well as a more fragile place in the world.

I was so very hungry upon waking. Trees gain sustenance from the soil and the wet. I must gain my own energy from the products of the growing things. There are no animals in my land, and the only grass I could see was on the other side of the small river my tree dwells beside.

I decided that I would prepare an underground place in which to grow my food. I dug deep, growing roots as I went, until I was deeper than the water table. As I prepared my root garden, I heard a most frightening sound.

Fire.

I rushed to check my roots, but none had any evidence of flames on them. I stopped to listen, and heard not only fire, but the dread sound of lava popping and sizzling. To make matters worse, the hissings of spiders echoed in the caves my roots had carved out.

I went up to the surface and quickly gathered water. Then I cautiously went to investigate the frightening sounds. I was foolish. One does not go hunting lava and spiders when one is faint with hunger and ill equipped. Fear for my tree's roots drove me on, in any case.

Down I went, growing roots and following the noises of flame and foe. Until I broke through to an underground passage. It was bolstered by dead wood used by the ancient races, before they had Changed, and the deadwood was aflame! Lava poured from the wall and I threw my water at it in a panic.

Alas, I had thought the water to be my savior, but instead it only allowed a horde of vicious cave arachnids to swim up and onto my very root system! I tried to fight, but in my flustered confusion I could not take hold of my stone sword. I was only able to throw chunks of dirt and my bucket at them. I managed to take one, but it's companions were only enraged and I perished.

Death for a spirit is not true death. My heart log remained safe from harm, and thus I was reborn at the forest temple. I forgot myself, and in my lingering panic, managed to lose my way to my tree.

I know there are spells available to Tree Spirits, in order to keep them from being separated from their homes for too long. I did not remember, however, until I had made the long journey back to my soul's wood on foot.

A tiring journey, and now I am back to being hungry and faint. Tomorrow, I will build a root bridge to the grasses across the water. I vow never to be hungry again.

To a hungry spirit anything looks delicious, especially grass. Although I cannot eat the grass itself, I know that nurturing it's seeds can lead to a delicious outcome. I waited for morning to come and built myself a temporary root bridge over the water until I could just reach the sparse grasses that grow on the hillside.

I harvested each one, and none gave seed until the very last one within my reach finally granted me one little seed. I carried it protectively back to my underground garden and planted it, urging it to grow. It grew only slowly. This land is a harsh one.

While I waited for it to mature, I continued to carve out a nursery for my saplings to grow in. Pines require a bit more space than other trees, both up and out. So I broke rock until my tools broke, then I made more and repeated the process.

On my fifth tool, my hard work was rewarded. A sapling grew! One that I had suspected might not have enough room to flourish as well. I harvested the new root wood and continued. I will need a large nursery if I am to grow my Treefriend up and into the skies.

I still hear the spiders below me, as well as more fire. As soon as I have the energy to do so I decide to go down and clear them out...but then a new voice cries out! A terrible groan! I turn just in time to see a zombie attack. I perish once more.

Angered, I use a restoration spell to return to my tree. I punched that undead creature until it fell to the floor of my nursery and rotted away into bits of flesh. There was a certain savagery upon me, and I am afraid I ate the flesh of my foe. I could feel the mixture of horror and pride my tree felt for me, the same as I felt.

We are beginning to find the adventure I had so longed for.

The flesh made me ill, and I climbed back up to my garden to find golden grains waiting, excitedly I reached out, only to realize too late that they were not quite mature yet. I am left with nothing crumbling away in my fingers. I can only conclude that the flesh of my undead foe made my senses and sensibilities escape me for a time.

Tomorrow I shall have to build another bridge and hope for more grasses to make themselves known...

Each day I add to my Tree's new base. The trunk is a most important part of a tree, and so I need to make sure it is sturdy and large enough to support the rest of the foliage and branches. This new day dawned darkly. As soon as I awoke to the world, I heard the sounds of zombies and skeletons hovering around my dirt fort.

I worked below in my nursery until morning broke, then cautiously ventured outside. I saw no foes, so I went to add to my base...only to find a skeleton hovering just beside the door! I was able to dispatch it, and gained a bone for my trouble.

Continuing my work, I felt very accomplished...but out of nowhere one of the creatures of gunpowder and anger found me. I panicked. I admit I am not calm in the face of danger. I perished, yet again, with my attacker. I wonder if the ill fated skeleton called his friend down upon me in revenge...

I need to find a way to grow food. So I grow a bridge off my trunk and harvest the grasses further along the hillside. I get two seeds, and head back down my roots to my garden. I am embarrassed to say it, but I think I might not be a very good gardener.

Who would have thought a tree spirit would have such trouble getting things to grow?

I am afraid I could not tell when my wheat was fully mature. A Great Spirit came and assisted me, but I cannot rely on the senses of others all the time. I will have to change the way I look at my world to a more practical manner!

At last I have had a day where no enemies get the better of me. I started out gathering wood. I think my underground nursery is ill designed, because the trees do not seem to want to grow. I will have to renovate later. The wood I did manage to gather went to completing the base of our trunk.

I was so excited with this accomplishment, that I hopped about in joy. Tree spirits are supposed to graceful, nimble creatures. Sometimes I wonder, though, if I might have mixed ancestry. Troll, perhaps, or ogre. While I pranced about, I did not think about my surroundings, and I tripped.

Down I went. Down my stairway and lost my remaining life force once again. I could not even blame an attacker this time. it was my own foolishness. Despite my chagrin at my own lack of grace, I am proud of what I have accomplished so far.

My garden proliferates! I am growing just enough wheat to ward off starvation, and with each new harvest, I can expand my plantings. I may need to change my method of harvest, however, since the way I have at the moment promises to be very inefficient inn the future.

The nursery, as I said before, needs improvements. I began them, but it will take some time before I can really get going again. I have discovered a use for the spiders that live below! I can now stand safely behind a barrier and pick them off one by one at no harm to myself. In this manner I hope to get enough string to craft wool, and subsequently a bed, with.

Things are beginning to take shape. As my nursery grows, so shall my trunk. I have already begun gathering foliage for future use, and I believe I know how to grow in a pleasing shape, thanks to the advice of my fellow spirits!

Today, I managed to avoid expiring!

My efforts in redesigning my nursery have also borne much fruit...or in this case, rootwood. Now it seems like there is always a tree available to harvest! I have begun growing upwards! I even felt safe enough to remove the cocoon of dirt I had built to protect my heartlog.

I felt some anxiety, however, as I began to run out of deadwood. I might not wish for other trees to grow around my lovely chosen one, but I may need to grow some paths out into the world soon in order to gather more supplies. I suppose I could use my own root wood, but that is a valuable resource!

I also have started to gather more and more foodstuffs. My garden grows enough for now, but not quite enough to keep me from starving every once in a while. My design might be flawed; I shall have to consider another method of growing!

As I was growing my trunk another level into the sky, I slipped! Right into the river that my tree resides by! I was quite embarrassed, but I managed to make my soggy way back onto the root paths and to my house where I warmed myself by my furnace.

A furnace seems like a dangerous thing to have as a Tree Spirit, and it is! Risk is always needed, however, if one wishes too receive great gains! My furnace provides me with glass and smooth stone, so far. so as to make my surroundings look a bit neater. Even a dryad needs a little design in her life!

Many exciting things have happened today! I began with a quick harvesting session, then satisfied my hunger with freshly baked bread. When I was feeling a bit more robust, I took out my sword and ventured down to where the spiders run at me in anger.

They didn't stand a chance! I have set up a blockade so that I can hit them, but they cannot reach me. I collected plenty of spider eyes (I still don't know what I am going to do with something like that, but I keep them anyway!) and I also managed to harvest enough of their string that I could craft three wool! I used that to make myself a bed. Now my tree is truly my home.

Growing things pop up faster than I can harvest! I've had to expand my wheat farm in order to accommodate all the extra seeds I have been getting! Today I have discovered magic within my own arms, as well. If I properly prepare myself beforehand, I can fell a tree with just a few chops. The other spirits told me that this was an effect of being in this world, and that as I do more, so will this new power grow.

I've had to create a storage cellar with many large chests. I seem to collect far more cobble than I really need, and I can't bring myself to get rid of it. I'm a hoarding spirit as well as a tree spirit! I have a chest just for foliage. I haven't got a true use for it all yet, but I know I will once I grow tall enough to begin branching!

I was jumping on my new bed in glee when an arrow whizzed past my head! I looked frantically for the culprit, but there were no archers in sight, then I heard the sound of bones clattering. Two of them! Swimming right outside my riverside trunk wall! It was both frightening and ridiculous. Every time they popped up to shoot at me, they would burn, then they'd dive back down to extinguish themselves.

I simply waited, but then another arrow flew at me from behind! A third skeleton was just staring a me from under one of my own saplings! Inside my haven! I took only a moment to ponder how it had gotten there before exterminating it. Lo and behold, it must have ghosted in by magic, because it left an enchanted bow behind.

It was getting late, and I knew I had to go back to my spirit slumber, but before I did, I spotted a creeper, high up on a cliff and very certainly looking for a way to hop down into my trunk and destroy my heart log. I pulled out my new acquisition and took careful aim at the green menace. Two arrows was all it took, and he keeled over in defeat!

Triumphant, I climbed into my new bed and slept. Tomorrow I will grow even taller, and no skeleton, creeper or any other foe shall halt my progress!

As I slept a Great Spirit sent me a message, telling me to make my way to his own treehome. He told me that he lived just over the hill, and if I were to build a little tower, I could see his abode from my own!

When I awoke, I did so, and saw the truth in his words. Now, though my tree still needs to grow before it is more than just a stump, I have decided to make a journey to visit the Great Spirit's tree.

I began by gathering as much rootwood as I could. My saplings are growing much faster now, but pines still grow quite slowly. I sped things up by removing a few trunk wall pieces and replacing them with wooden windows. I had been planning this for while, but only now got around to doing it!

As I was felling the rootwood however, I suddenly warped from the world into the formless void of my slumber! I tried to break back in, but I could not. I heard enough from my fellow spirits when I struggled to reenter that I knew it was a instability with the world, and not among ourselves. So We had to wait.

When I finally did manage to get back to wakefulness, I only had enough time to lengthen my root road towards the Great Spirit by a few meters. My day was short, but I have new purpose!

The very first thing I did upon rising was go around an collect as much root wood as I could manage. My iron supply is running low, and I may need to go mining soon, or perhaps just expand my nursery area and see what goodies that gets me, but I digress. I gathered a large amount of root material and opened my door to the outside world.

A creeper tried to blind side me, but I managed to retreat back into the safety of my trunk and defeat it from there. A close call! The next time I left, I checked for foes quite thoroughly.

I grew my root tendril out towards the Great Spirit who spoke to me before, and as I drew near I found a magnificent tower growing into the sky! I had to back my root system up and grow it up in order to reach the gifts that he left!

Inside were treasures! A couple saplings from his own heart tree, which I think I shall plant as friendship tokens along the outer trunk of my own tree. Some apples, and a few bones. But most impressive of all, diamonds! I am not sure which tool I shall make these into, but I am fairly sure an axe will be high on my list!

In return I placed a few of my own saplings and loaves of freshly baked bread from the wheat in my garden. Not nearly an equal gift back, but as I am still trying to grow, I am afraid it was the best I could manage.

I found that I did not have the time to spend in this world that I usually do, and I had to return home to my treefriend in order to slumber once more.

Though growing a tree is quite exciting for a tree spirit to do, I am afraid it is not quite as enthralling to journal about. I have spent several of my awakenings simply gathering wood from my sapling nursery and using it to grow upwards.

I have covered over the opening of my trunk, so now I have a stump! As I grew, a small leafy balcony grew off to the side, it's quite nice, actually, despite my initial dissapointment. I think it will become my favorite look out soon enough.

I expanded my nursery again, adding another row of saplings. I wanted to expand primarily because I was hoping for some more iron, but more sapling growing area is always welcome. I dream of the day that I simply can not keep up with the growth of saplings.

These days squid have continually been invading my house. They congregate out in the river areas, but somhow they must slip through the seams of my trunk, because I will come up from the nursery sometimes to discover a squid floundering around near my bed. The first time this happened, I admit I jumped a little. Emerging into a safe place only to see a mouth ringed with sharp looking teeth? I'm just glad they do not eat trees!

Zombies also make my xylem flow faster. They hammer at my door with such strength it can be heard all the way down in the peace of my nursery! I have dropped many an axe when I hear thier unwelcome visits! I would shoot them with my enchanted bow, but I'm afraid I have no arrows.

I thought for a time that I would be able to remedy my lack of arrows, when I befriended a hen who was splashing about next to my front entrance. I lured her in with some wheat, but I'm afraid she simply laid one single egg and flew off the top of my stump. The egg did not even hatch a chick.

My next project after I finish growing my tree will probably be an underground farm area. That way the chickens will not be able to fly off so easily.

I have been slumbering for many moons. My dreams have been busy, and I could not find a way out of dreamland and back to my tree. But finally I have prevailed.

It seems, however, that TreeFriend is no more. A new world has emerged and with it a new adventure. I know that TreeFriend is fine, we shared adventures and grew many meters into the sky, but Trees are more used to the slowness of everyday life.

I daresay that TreeFriend is quite settled into his new day to day photosynthesizing. I wish him luck and rain. For me, it is time to move on.

I must find a new tree friend. One who will offer new adventures and challenges. And So, I go forth!


I emerged inside a mighty trunk in this new world. Greeted by a new voice, I am invited to see the progress another spirit has accomplished before setting off to find my new tree. He has told me a tale of great woe, of the disaster just beyond his home forest and how he thought that his time as a tree spirit had grown to an end. He has made much progress on his new home, however, and I sense he will have a powerful tree very soon.

The Great Spirits remembered me, despite my long slumber, and granted me the powers of flight once more. I found a great Ice Plain, which I grew quite fond of, but there was not a Spruce to be seen. The Great Spirit who granted me flight came to inquire about my search, and I told him my difficulties.

He told me not to fret, and planted a spruce in this wonderful area. Who knows? Perhaps it was even one of TreeFriend's offshoots! She grew into quite the full and curvaceous pine, and we have begun our new journey. She seems brave, and eager. I have named her Treehilda. We are striving to reach the closest peasant tree, but in this wide open area, creatures of the night seem to spawn in much greater numbers. A cluster of zombies shamble around in the distance, and the peasant tree is consistently guarded by the green thunder-beings.

We shall persist. Treehilda and I plan to grow modestly, but fully, unlike TreeFriend's wish to dominate the pine forest. A simple trunk to house me, and enough of a canopy for her to photosynthesize.

I have also found a strange device, it allows me to sketch images of surprising detail and vividness. Perhaps I shall include some of these sketches in my journal. To document my new adventures!

I spent the first few days waiting in my dirt cocoon for saplings to sprout. As each sapling grew and provided more trunk wood, I grew TreeHilda's stump a little wider, then a little taller. Now we have a solid trunk! While I built this foundation, I saw a sight both terrifying and incredible! A skeleton had tamed one of the local arachnids, and was riding upon it's back! I had no weapon to protect myself with, so I hid until morning. I did manage to take a sketch of it:



I decided to make my sapling nursery above ground in this new world. Growing trees below the earth seems to be quite foolish to me now. Trees need sunlight and fresh air! TreeHilda is much more social, though she's annoyed at her closest children for harboring the denizens of the night when the sun rises.

I grew a root and the nursery out towards a patch of pumpkins. I have used them to light up my underground farm! I am still very hungry, but the farm is expanding. Soon I shall have more bread than I can possibly consume!

I also grew a root down into the rock of the earth, where I found a great ravine! There were plenty of very useful resources, and I was able to dispose of the lava flows with a newly crafted bucket filled with life giving water.

I cannot return to my tree as often as I would like, the Dreamlands call to me strongly. But I continue to harvest and build, and soon Tree Hilda will grow to be a fine tree.

Lol I just read this and realized u talked about me I like the story!

I have been having many dreams in the DreamLands, but I managed to quickly awaken within my tree and do a little work.

I decided to make an area for the various non-violent creatures that roam the land. Now it is just a matter of time before I lure some of them into my below-ground haven. It is very interesting, because I have dug it out below a small ice pond. This lets some sunlight through and creates a very homey effect! Perhaps I will expand this effect with more water and some glass!

I wanted to collect more wood from my saplings, but I found the DreamLands pulled at me insistently. I plan to spend some time just collecting more wood so I might complete TreeHilda's full growth! Then I can start venturing out with roots towards the other spirits that live nearby!